The present invention relates generally to a garment and more specifically to a garment having vent openings to allow air to reach the body of the wearer.
It is common in the garment industry, particularly in garments that are used by motorcycle riders, to have vent openings to cool the body of the rider in hot weather conditions. Consequently, garments and coats with provisions for ventilation have been developed. Examples of such garments are seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,715, issued Sep. 2, 1986 to Miller et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,477, issued Apr. 21, 1992 to Golde; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,064, issued Jan. 6, 1998 to van der Slessen; these are all incorporated herein by reference.
Various conventional garments also provide protection in bad weather conditions such as rain or sleet. Furthermore, some traditional garments have been developed which provide both rain protection and ventilation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,336, issued Dec. 8, 1998 to Golde, discloses a protective and ventilating garment intended to be worn by a motorcycle rider. This garment, however, does not have any provision for the cool air to reach the body of the rider since the vent opening is provided in the outer layer of the garment. Moreover, the garment disclosed in the '336 patent does not prevent the rain protection flap from covering the vent opening in windy conditions or during normal high speed motorcycle use.
Since motorcycle, all terrain vehicles, or other motorsport riders primarily wear these general types of garments, it is also known to provide internal protective "body armor" at the shoulder, back, and elbows. Conventional jacket type garments have further employed a vent in the back of an outer shell.
In accordance with the present invention, a preferred embodiment of a ventilating garment has an outer shell and a mid-liner with vent openings. In another aspect of the present invention, the vents on the shell and the mid-liner coordinate with each other such that air entering the vent from the shell exits through the vent in the mid-liner, thereby reaching the body of the wearer. A further aspect of the present invention provides closure mechanisms, which open or close the vent openings. Still another aspect of the present invention employs vent openings with a mesh material to deter insects or other particles from entering the garment. In yet another aspect of the present invention, protective reinforcements are provided at the elbow, shoulder, and/or back of the garment. Another aspect of the present invention provides an upper and lower flap around a vent opening to deter water from entering the garment in wet weather conditions. In another aspect of the present invention, a flap member can be deformed from a closed position to an open position and allow air access. For the vent to maintain the open position of the flap, a metallic strip is inserted inside the flap. Another aspect of the present invention employs a vent opening which generally extends from the torso portion and onto the sleeve portion of the garment across the traditional seam location between the torso and the sleeve.
The ventilating garment of the present invention is advantageous over previously designed garments in that the present invention allows the air to reach the body of the wearer without becoming significantly trapped inside the shell or the mid-liner. Thus, the present invention deters ballooning effects in the garment while riding at high speed. Moreover, the present invention advantageously maintains the rain protection flap in a raised and open orientation to allow air access to the vent opening in windy conditions and high speed use by providing a deformable member inside the flap. To further assist in maintaining the flap and vent in an open condition, the vent opening is located across both the torso portion and the sleeve portion to take advantage of the posture of the wearer while riding a motorcycle. Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.